Background
No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.
With innovation at the core of all we do, every challenge starts with the same question. How can we do it better? This restless spirit runs right through McLaren Automotive. And the search for perfection is evident in everything we do.
Purpose of Role
As the Technical Lead Validation for Body & Chassis Systems, you'll directly report to
the Design Validation & CAE Sr. Manager,
work within a matrix organization closely interacting with Vehicle Design Engineering, Body Development Validation and Vehicle Development Divisions. You will
act as a point of arbitration and gatekeeping between Vehicle Design Engineering, Body Development Validation and Vehicle Development Division. You'll
use and leverage extensive experience of Body & Chassis Engineering and Testing to manage on-vehicle component validation (track testing, HET, CET) ensuring parts pedigree for cars to be shipped for testing.
Principal Accountabilities
- Program Management of Vehicle Design Engineering Validation: Maintain High Level Plan, Support Budget Requirements, Communicate & Balance all Program tests
- Supervise all Vehicle Design Engineering on-Vehicle Testing activities: Attend Tests where necessary, Communicate Reports & Issues, Monitor test concerns through to Validation
- Management of Pre-Production build to ensure the correct representativeness of Body & Chassis Systems (“Green Dot process”)
- Coordinate Vehicle Design Engineering and Development on-vehicle validation activities
- Manage the Design Validation Plan for Body & Chassis Systems
- Sign off on-vehicle Body & Chassis countermeasures
- Review existing processes and interactions between Body/Chassis Engineering, Test, Pilot build and vehicle development with target of getting the right part to test at the right quality, avoiding delays and wasted cost downstream
- Strategically create and define testing standards where necessary to standardise testing across McLaren products, taking industry benchmarks, lesson learnt and best practice into account
- Ensure lessons learned are recorded, documented and implemented into future programmes by means of the BCR system/testing standards library, and personal injection of feedback into new programme start-up’s
- Chair and lead cross-functional reviews on proto vehicles and test properties
- Act as an escalation point and mediation in test feedback, ensuring issues are correctly assigned and allocated, or guiding further testing as necessary
- Work with Project Management and Vehicle Development to ensure that fleet plans are appropriate and all required test properties are accounted for in planning phase
- Monitoring of Fleet maintenance ensuring test activity meets performance capability throughout program
- Work closely with Project managers, Vehicle Development managers and Vehicle Design Engineering stakeholders to define testing vehicle fleet and budget at project outset
- Rationalise DVP content to ensure the DVP test programme delivers full signoff to the agreed budget
- Ensure all concerns coming from test are accurately reported and cascaded to the right individuals in a timely manner
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Extensive experience in automotive product development or project leadership function
- Experienced in an OEM or Tier1 with a good level of technical knowledge in Body/Chassis and Testing
- Experience of high volume and niche vehicle (low volume) programmes
- Good knowledge of validation, verification and testing processes
- Experience of testing methodologies and testing programmes
- Relevant Experience in Lightweight Body & Chassis Design and materials technology
- Experience in Body & Chassis component and system level on-vehicle testing
- Good understanding of the Attributes required for Body & Chassis development
- Good knowledge of Body & Chassis validation experimental methodology
- Experience in using, developing and maintaining design validation plans
- Strong communication of testing results via comprehensive and intelligible reports.
Personal Attributes
- Delivery focused - with demonstrable track record of on-time delivery
- Advanced problem solving abilities
- Good organizational skills
- Good team player and communicator able to communicate at all levels
- Self-motivated to deliver excellence
- Flexible attitude to working hours
- Capable of representing a world class automotive brand